UP THE MOUNTAIN. 269 



sants out poaching. Creeping along from bush to 

 rock, he stalked close up to them. He looked at each, 

 but did not recognize any of the party ; the rifle how- 

 ever that one carried he remembered; it had been 

 sold by auction not long before in the village, when 

 the fire-arms that had been taken from different per- 

 sons were disposed off. Well, he laid his informa- 

 tion ; but the authorities, easy as it would have been 

 to find out the owner, have done little or nothing in 

 the matter." 



" I suppose they are afraid to act, and are besides 

 better inclined to the poachers than the foresters." 



" Both one and the other," Neuner answered. "And 

 how savagely the villagers can behave to one of us, 

 when they get us in their power, what I am going to 

 tell you A\ill show. Some time ago a poacher was 

 missing from Partenkirchen. Between one and two 

 hundred peasants went out to search for him, and at 

 last found him shot dead. They instantly fancied he 

 been killed by one of us foresters ; but it was really 

 not the case, for none of us knew anything about the 

 matter. He had, without doubt, been shot accident- 

 ally by a comrade. Well, as soon as they found the 

 corpse, the whole band with shouts went to the house 

 of the assistant-keeper, but he was out. At last they 

 found him, and taking him to the place where the 

 corpse lay, asked, before the body, ' Were you not out 

 in the mountains?' 'Yes/ he answered, 'but not on 

 Thursday.' 'You lie!' they all shouted: 'you shot 

 him.' They then beat him so unmercifully that he 



